Among the Hidden Chapter 27 Summary

Luke slowly turns around and recognizes the man with the gun as Jen's dad. But this guy is in no mood for meet and greets.

With the gun still pointed at him, Luke introduces himself as a friend of Jen's and asks where she is.

The gun gets lowered at this question but Jen's father doesn't soften up and asks how Luke knows about Jen.

Luke admits how he's also a third child and that he discovered Jen due to his Sherlock Holmes-type detective skills.

Mr. Talbot takes a seat and learns that Jen taught Luke to disable the alarm and asks what else they talked about.

Naturally, Luke mentions the rally and how he was too scared to go.

So why didn't he stop Jen? Because nothing and no one could have stopped Jen.

This isn't news to Mr. Talbot.

Luke continues to ask about Jen until her father confesses that she's dead.

Wait, what?

She was shot at the rally along with all forty other kids who showed up.

Mr. Talbot doesn't understand how Jen could be so stupid, trying to go up against the Population Police.

Knowing Jen as well as he did, Luke says that she knew the risks (and likelihood of success) but did it anyway.

She didn't want to die. She just wanted to live out of the shadows.

Luke tries to hold onto those words as if it'll help him hold on to Jen.

But ready or not, Mr. Talbot is going to drop a bomb on Luke. Since the rally, the Government has cracked down on the secret chat room and will be able to track Luke's login back to the Talbots' house.

It won't be long until they're searching high and low for other third children in the area.

And according to Jen's dad, "it wouldn't take them long to find [him]" (27.60).

So, Mr. Talbot offers Luke a solution: let him get Luke a fake I.D.

How will he be able to do this? Turns out Mr. Talbot works for the Population Police.